Take your pick

wacker · 05-27-2003, 02:52 PM

Reading about Maytom' s frustration with the hunting pressure this year got me thinking.Here in Wisconsin we have six different five day seasons.The tag that you get is good for only one of these seasons.So you have five days to kill a gobbler but the hunting pressure is spread out a little more because not everyone is hunting at the same time.Would you prefer a system like this or a month long season where everybody is in the woods at the same time.I kind of like Michigan' s system where the early seasons are a limited draw and the late season is open to everyone.What do you think?

Turk_man · 05-27-2003, 03:50 PM

As much as I hate the problems that having alot of hunters in the woods, I`ll take a 5 week season over 5 days. I enjoy watching the birds go through the different stages of the spring season.

Tail Feathers · 05-27-2003, 04:01 PM

Thank goodness that' s not a problem here. If faced with that, I' d go for a longer season. Seeing the different aspects of the birds as season progresses and the ability to take vacation and hit the woods on light pressure weekdays would win out for me. With only one week to hunt, one bit of bad luck and you could miss the whole season![

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With my luck I' d get the week the birds are totally henned up every single year!

yankeehunter · 05-27-2003, 04:55 PM

I have only turkey hunted in Georgia, but I really enjoy the way they have the season set up here. We have about a seven week season that you can hunt the entire time. I have lived and hunted deer in Wisconsin and is one of the finest states to hunt in, but I question why they have such short seasons. I know the winters can be hard on the animals, and the DNR has the facts on that. But I would find it hard to hunt only 5 days and then call it quits.

maytom · 05-27-2003, 07:20 PM

Wacker, I think it may just go to something like that if the sport continues to keep growing each year, hunter wise!! You have some valid points!![8D]

snowdog2 · 05-28-2003, 07:56 AM

Minnesota is similar to Wisconsin, it has 8 five-day seasons. Pressure is dramatically reduced, as there are limited permits per area per five-day period, and the areas are large. In part this means you don' t get hunter wise toms who stay shut up all season. In part this means you take a chance when you put in for the lottery draw that the five days you choose will be a good time of the season, not a time when the toms are henned up, shut mouthed, or the weather is miserable. Since you only have five days to hunt if you get drawn, I always take a three to five day vacation for the time I get drawn (sometimes those 5 day periods include weekends).

From a hunter pressure standpoint, limited seasons help significantly. That is not to say I like it, I don' t. I' d rather be able to go when I wanted and for how long I wanted, but Minnesota has a limited turkey population and more hunters than available resource.

TN_Hunter · 05-28-2003, 03:08 PM

That would SUCK! I would take 35 crowded days over 5 uncrowded days ANYTIME! If we had to hunt like that, I would MOVE!

MOTurkeyTamer · 05-28-2003, 08:38 PM

I agree with TN_Hunter, I' ll take the longer season anytime! Besides that, the pressure seems to lighten up after the first weekend or so around here anyway. And during the weekdays, it' s not bad either. I would be a basket case if I only had 5 days each spring to hunt turkeys, our 3 week season goes too fast for me!

mauser06 · 05-28-2003, 08:54 PM

i agree...i like our 4 week season or however long it is...really not sure...and i agree after the first few days the pressure is minimal and theres tons of great hunting left...we used to take our trip for a week after the second week and hunt the third..sure we would hunt the first day and a few days inbetween...but then wed pack up and hed north to the real woods...where the turkeys dont know what a hunter is...we hunted the same areas for years...never did we see other turkey hunters....and the trout fishing is good that time of spring too....once in a while wed see an onld timer in the creek but thats about it as for other guys....and this is all national forest...way back in the sticks....not a building for miles or a paved road....thats hunting!....5 days just isnt enough for me...i like hunting a day or 2..then wait for the weather to break then hunt...then go on the trip...usually the spring weather has alot of wind and rain here....a 5 day hunt could make your day or ruin your year depending on mother nature them 5 days....

wacker · 05-28-2003, 09:22 PM

I wish we had more time to hunt but I don' t see it changing anytime soon.You can still get a lot of hunting time in calling for other people.I think the short season causes me to hunt more agressively than I would with a longer season and you can' t afford to sleep in on a raining day.What amazes me is that WI is always among the top 5 states in numbers of birds killed even with this season.I can' t imagine how many more would be killed with a 35 day season and a 2 bird limit.